Democrats Crush Plot To Steal The 2016 Election With Lawsuit Against Arizona GOP

Democrats have taken action against the Republican plot to steal the 2016 election by filing a lawsuit against Arizona Republican officials over their voter suppression tactics.

A DNC press release described the lawsuit:

The Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee are filing a joint lawsuit in the United States District Court of Arizona on Friday on behalf of voters affected by voting irregularities resulting from the actions of state officials. The suit is a response to decisions that caused extremely long lines and needlessly disenfranchised voters, especially minority voters, during the state’s March 22nd presidential primary election, and includes affected voters, Former Chairman and First President of the Navajo Nation Peterson Zah, the Arizona Democratic Party, and the Ann Kirkpatrick for Senate campaign as plaintiffs.

Among those named as defendants in the suit are the Arizona Secretary of State, Michele Reagan, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Maricopa County Recorder, Helen Purcell.

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In particular, the suit cites the state’s decision to drastically reduce the number of voting locations, forcing thousands of voters to wait in lines for up to five hours, as well as the state’s arbitrary rejection of provisional ballots at alarming rates, especially those cast by Hispanic voters. In Maricopa County alone, which has a large Hispanic population, more than 2,800 ballots were rejected in 2014.

Furthermore, the suit points out that more minority voters will likely be disenfranchised in future elections as the direct result of a new state law enacted in March, which makes it a felony for one voter to turn in a signed, sealed ballot to the county registrar on behalf of another voter.

These policies taken together have imposed onerous burdens on Arizona voters generally and Maricopa County voters specifically, and threaten to drag the state backwards when it comes to discrimination.

The Hillary Clinton presidential campaign also announced that they have joined the lawsuit, “We share the concerns of Arizona supporters of both campaigns who encountered barriers and appreciate the DSCC and DNC’s willingness to let us join the case as a party.”

After reports that Arizona Republicans intentionally did not have enough polling stations open in Maricopa County, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said, “In the United States of America, democracy is the foundation of our way of life. And what happened in Arizona is a disgrace. I hope that every state in this country learns from that and learns how to put together a proper election where people can come in and vote in a timely manner and go back to work.”

The lawsuit puts Republicans all across the country on notice that they are not going to be able to carry out their plans to steal the 2016 election unchallenged. Democrats are to the Republican voter suppression tricks. Arizona is the first is what is expected to be a series of lawsuits against state Republican plots to rig the vote.

Republicans have decided that if they can’t win the vote, they’ll steal it. Democrats are ready, and the lawsuit in Arizona sends a strong message that this election won’t be stolen.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association